Continued maturation and observation

The test plot continues to grow. Only one scare balloon is needed, due to the small harvest.

Birds are causing some damage, but we are hanging fairly well in petit verdot.

I don't know if I will cluster thin as aggressively next year. The deer and birds thinned my clusters exhaustively. At this point, I am hoping to avoid hurricanes and further animals. Petit verdot grapes are prone to split with excessive moisture, so a tropical system could rock my world. Animals are certainly taking their share already. Pretty soon, I will start checking brix and acid to plot harvest. Here's to hoping that we have something to harvest!